Mail box



W. SCHLARBAUM,

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21,1920.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

WADE scnnanniiulu, on Mount PLEASANT, rows.

1 MAIL BOX.

Moises.

1 0 aZZ whom it may concern i Be it known that I, WADE SOI-ILARBAUM, a citizen of the United States 011; America, and resident of Mount: Pleasant, in the county ofHenry and State of iowmhave invented certain new andusei'ul Improvements in Mail Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail boxes and particularly to a type of mail boxes which are used for rural mail collection and delivery.

An object of this invention is to produce a mail box having novel means whereby a carrier may expeditiously remove mail from a box ordeposit mail in a box so that the mail while being handled in its deposit or removal will not become displaced or dislodged irom the box, even though there is heavy wind pressure.

The invention has for its object furthermore the provision of a device associated with mail boxes that operates as a safety element to prevent mail from becoming soiled by reason olf its being dislodged from the receptacle, and the device furthermore results in reducing the time consumed by a carrier in depositing mail or removing it fiom the box, as the operator may use the same hand for depositing and removing mail and at the same time close the box without removing hand covering such as mittens.

A still further object of this invention is to produce a. device which will support the 3 mail in a box in such position that it cannot {all being observed by the carrier and. hence there is no liability of mailbeing left behind through failure to detect it.

A further object of this invention is to produce a device of the character indicated which is associated with the door or closure of a box and preferably movable with it so that the mail carrying member is brought into convenient position for depositing or removing mail and in plain View of the carr1er.

.l/Vith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details 09f construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein-like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, andin which Figure 1 illustrates a View in elevation of one form of letter box having the invert tion applied thereto;

Figure 2 illustrates a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

has a depending flange l at its rear edge which forms a water shield and it isbent to the angle or the upper portion of the rear wall of the receptacle.

A mail holding or clamping element com prises a plate 16 having a flange 17 at its end standing at an angle to the plate so that the plate may fit against the under surface of the cover and the flange, and the flange will conform to the contour of the depending flange-of the cover, the said flange of the plate being secured to the flange of the cover by fastenings 18 such as rivets or the like. The plate has an extension 19 forming a jaw which is relatively rigid so that it will withstand pressure of a coasting jaw 20 and serve to retain mail which may be deposited betweenthe extension 19 and the jaw 20; v

The extension has a notch 21 at its outer end whlch forms a clearance so that an operator may insert a finger or a portion of his hand to press against the jaw 20 to separate it from the extension 19 to create an opening for the insertion of mail.

Asshown in the drawing the jaw 20 has ears 22 and the extension 19 has ears 23 which extend partially across 7 each other, and the jaw 20 is pivotally mounted by the pintle 2 1 which extends through the cars 22 and 23, the said pivoted jaw being urged against the extension 19 by a spring 25' which encircles the pivot and is arranged to exert pressure to yieldingly hold the jaw in engagement with the extension.

By reason of the arrangement shown and Specification of Letters Patent. Pgmgntgd Jan, 241 1922 Application filed July 2'7, 1920. fieriathlo. 399,272.

described the owner of the mail box may deposit mail therein for the carrier so that when the box cover is open, the mail will be elevated out of the boX and presented in convenient position for its removal from the holder, whereas the carrier can likewise deposit any mail which he may have after removing that which is to be collected, and the owner of the box will likewise have the mail The combination with a mail box having an opening, a movable cover for said opeir ing and a dependingfiange formed at the rear edge of said cover, of a plate upon the interior of said cover, having a flange at its end standing at an angle to the plate and secured to the depending flange of the cover, an oblique extension on said plate opposite the flange forming a relatively rigid jaw, a movable jaw opposite the rigid jaw, ears formed on said jaws adjacent the inner ends thereof, a pintle extending through said ears,- a coil springon said pintle and exerting its tension onthe movable jaw to retain said jaw in normal contactng relation with the rigid jaw and the rigid jaw having a notch through its outer end opening onto the movable jaw to facilitate the actuation of said movable jaw.

WADE SCI-ILARBAUM. 

